Invest in a blue chip: A case for retro. Anything retro should be considered a keepsake piece of furniture that has the potential to be handed down from generation to generation. The dining table that catches your eye at a market or auction may not be particularly fashionable or even fit into your present decor scheme but don't let that deter you from buying something of quality and style from another era. It may well prove to be the best investment of all escalating in value in the decades to come.

Turquoise and green hues provide continuity between the dining room and the parlor. They also continue into the kitchen. Note the small branch side table in the living room which plays off the whimsical forest look in the dining room.

Statement chandelier and flowering branches. A gorgeous statement‐making chandelier like the hot‐pink one shown here plus tall vases of flowering branches creates a subtle separation between spaces – perfect for an open‐plan home.

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Geometric play. This small dining nook was designed by Kimball Starr Interior Design in San Francisco. Starr says her clients wanted the area off the kitchen to be used as an activity nook for playing board games with friends; she added a touch of grown‐up glamour with impressive geometric pendants and a custom banquette upholstered in a playful fabric.

Same chairs different upholstery (or seat cushions). Another way to mix up a set of matching chairs is to re‐cover the seats in an array of different fabrics. Or for nonupholstered wooden chairs simply add fresh seat cushions in a pleasing range of colors and patterns.

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Dramatic flair. In an all‐white kitchen introduce color and texture with bold and cheerfully patterned upholstery. Brighten up the nook with glass pendants a colorful table setting and freshly picked flowers. Note how the pullout drawers under the benches provide storage – a perfect place in which to keep all your board card and trivia games for after‐dinner fun.

Different chairs same upholstery. Unify a group of lovely chairs old or new by having them re‐covered in the same fabric. In the dining room featured here three different pairs of chairs were all covered in similar fabric to create a "set".

Different chairs same color. Sort of like the trend in bridesmaids' dresses to have the ladies pick their own dresses as long as they are in the same hue mixing and matching chair shapes is easy when you match the color. It does help to choose chairs in the same general style (modern traditional) to keep them feeling like a set.